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Rony Ortega, 36, of Maple Ridge Road, was charged with first-degree sexual assault and two counts of risk of injury to a minor in March 2016 after a nine-month investigation.

Police said Ortega molested the girl — a relative — in June 2015 at his home after taking her into town to see some fire trucks.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, the girl’s mother had earlier been concerned that Ortega was “showing a lot of interest in spending time” with the girl, and had asked other relatives not to leave her daughter alone with Ortega.

After returning from the trip with Ortega, the mother noticed the girl’s shorts were rolled down around the waist, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. The child told her mother that Ortega pulled down her pants and touched her in an inappropriate manner.

Ortega denied the encounter when questioned by police, stating that the girl’s pants had become stuck on the seat belt during the trip. But his story was inconsistent with other witnesses’ stories, including that of his wife, who said Ortega hadn’t expected her to be home that day because she was busy running errands, according to court documents.

Investigators also found several photographs on Ortega’s cellphone of young children who were naked, in bathing suits or in provocative or suggestive clothing. A DNA sample taken from the girl’s clothing was a partial match for Ortega, court records state.